Tuesday, 18 September 2007

Before Breakfast, Or Ode to a Walking Foot

When I woke up this morning, I couldn't remember at first why I was so happy? And then it came back to me.....ahhhh, yes......the walking foot!

Actually sewing the felt from my felted sweater adventures has always been a bit of a challenge. My sewing machine is very basic, so I've tried different combinations of needles, tensions, and stitches, and was getting pretty good at it, but if I wasn't careful, the following would happen when I tried to zig-zag or satin stitch two pieces of felt together (if you are at all craft-disaster-queasy, I beg you to look away):

Behold the ugly puckering, behold the holes in all their horrific defiance!Frustrated, I fished around for advice from a friend (thanks Johanna!) and from the lovely lady who sold me my machine. Maybe a walking foot?

Yesterday Safiya and I sat at the machine for an hour, just sewing scraps of felt together for the fun of it. This morning she wanted to make a blanket for her doll. Before breakfast. Compared to before, it went sooo much faster. And easier. And look, look at the seams!

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Welcome!

This is my hopefully simpler, make-do, make-more, dirt-under-the-nails life. We've relocated from our little house in the middle of big Toronto to a slightly larger house in the smaller (but equally excellent) city of Hamilton, with many adventures on the way. Feel free to poke around, start a conversation, borrow ideas, and share ideas.

Please note that tutorials are not intended as patterns for commercial use. Also, do not copy content or photographs without my permission, but feel free to contact me if you wish to do so.Thanks,Marnie Saskin

i go here when i'm hungry...

*and hence, the name

'Now, I'll try you again. Suppose you were going to carpet a room. Would you use a carpet having a representation of flowers upon it?'

There being a general conviction by this time that 'No, sir!' was always the right answer to this gentleman, the chorus of No was very strong. Only a few feeble stragglers said Yes; among them Sissy Jupe.

'Girl number twenty,' said the gentleman, smiling in the calm strength of knowledge.

Sissy blushed, and stood up.

'So you would carpet your room -- or your husband's room, if you were a grown woman, and had a husband -- with representations of flowers, would you,' said the gentleman. 'Why would you?'

'If you please, sir, I am very fond of flowers,' returned the girl.

'And is that why you would put tables and chairs upon them, and have people walking over them with heavy boots?'

'It wouldn't hurt them, sir. They wouldn't crush and wither if you please, sir. They would be the pictures of what was very pretty and pleasant, and I would fancy --'

'Ay, ay, ay! But you mustn't fancy,' cried the gentleman, quite elated by coming so happily to his point. 'That's it! You are never to fancy.'